And finally, there is the magnificent Office of Readings, at whatever time of day is best for us to reflect on the mystery of salvation, with the help of Scripture and the writings of the Fathers of the Church.

“The purpose of the Divine Office is to sanctify
the day and all human activity.” – Apostolic Constitution, Canticum Laudis.

The Liturgy of the Hours is the richest single prayer resource of the Christian Church, with prayers, psalms and readings for each of the Hours, changing each day and through the seasons.

But such riches come at a price. With more than a thousand different Hours every year, the books are thick and using them is complex. So complex that it is rare to find anyone reciting the Hours apart from the clergy and religious. Which is not as it should be. This treasure is too marvellous to be the exclusive possession of our servants:

“The Office is... the prayer
not only of the clergy but of the whole People of God.” – Apostolic Constitution, Canticum Laudis.

Read it here and now

Follow the links on this page. There is one link for each Hour. They'll be on the left if your screen is wide, or at the top of page if it's narrow.

Find out more

e-books

If you have a Nook or a Kindle or another e-book reader, they can't use apps. But you can still get Universalis e-books, which are almost as good as an app. A Universalis e-book covers a fixed period (a month, a half-year, or a year) and has one chapter for each Hour in each day.